I have so many mixed feelings about summer. Most are positive, but occasionally the negative creeps in. Especially when temperatures soar into the 90s, humidity hangs in the air and my asthma rears its ugly head. Still, the beauty of the longer days, the sunshine, the vitamin D, the flowers, the picnics, the potlucks, the vacations, all contribute to a wonderful change of season. We are indeed blessed here in Minnesota. Most of the country is fighting fires, flooding, droughts, tornados and other forms of weather. Until a week or two ago, we were enjoying a beautiful spring with new life popping up all over the place. We are smack dab in the middle of the country and soon to be the new garden spot of America.

This day of the Summer Solstice is celebrated in many ways, but we often forget the One who put the sun in the sky and created all the stars and planets. He alone is the One we should celebrate on this day. Our Creator, God, knows all about the weather, the alignment of the planets, the heat of the day and the storms that fill the lakes and rivers. The following poem is called, “Solstice,” which if wrote a few years ago.

“SOLSTICE,”By Kathy Boecher

Soft, buttery shades of yellow, melt in the summer sun,

Reaching to touch the face of God, finding a place to run,

Days at their highest peak of light, soon like the flowers fade,

We bask in the glow of its heat, we search refreshing shade.

We wilt, we wither, and we die, our life is spent in years,

Longing for perfect contentment, but never find it here,

As life moves on in this planet, we hope it’s for the best,

Our hearts fill with disappointment, we can’t pass every test,

We flounder in our summer days, hang on to every hope,

We place our faith in things above, to help our bodies cope,

The days soon become much shorter, we lack the warmth and glow,

We struggle with the things of life, we cling to things below,

When we surrender to Jesus, our lives will be fulfilled,

He takes our hand and leads us, are fears will now be stilled.